Doorcheek

/ˈdɔːrtʃiːk/ noun

Definition

In architecture, the side post or pillar that forms one of the vertical supports of a doorway, also called a door jamb or cheek.

Etymology

From 'door' + 'cheek' (Old English 'ceace', meaning 'jaw' or 'side of the face'). The term uses the facial metaphor to describe the vertical sides of a doorway as if they were the 'cheeks' of the door's face.

Kelly Says

Calling door supports 'cheeks' shows how English borrowed facial anatomy for architecture—doorjambs are 'cheeks,' lintels are like eyebrows, and thresholds are like mouths opening into rooms.

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